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The Carpet Sweeper
In 1876 Melville Bissell of Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA patented the Carpet Sweeper. It was substituted by the vaccum cleaner but there are still carpet sweepers around today. -
The Telephone
History Pin - telephoneI
n 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first patent for the telephone. The first works he said over his new telephone device were to his laboratory assitant: "Mr. Watson - Come here - I want to see you." (Library of Congress) -
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Some 19th and 20th century inventions
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The Espresso Machine
Espresso coffeeThe espresso machine was invented during the age of steam at the end of the 19th century and is usually attributed to Angelo Monriondo from Turin, Italy who was award a patent in 1884 for “new steam machinery for the economic and instantaneous confection of coffee beverage.” But it was Luigi Bezzera and Desiderio Pavoni who built upon the design in the early 1900s and made it a commercial success in cafes. -
The Radio
The Radio
Guglielmi Marconi is credited with inventing the radio. He was awarded a British patent for the radio in 1897 and founded The Marconi Company Ltd. in 1897. Marconi also established a radio station at Niton, Isle of Wight, England. -
First images televised
Televised images
In 1925 John Logie Baird transmitted the first televised image which was of a human face and comprised just 30 lines of resolution (today's HD televisions show 1,080 lines). -
The steel refrigerator
Steel refrigerator
The 'Monitor Top' refrigerator was the first widely adopted refrigerator. It acquired its name because the exposed compressor on top of the cabinet resembled the cylindrical turret of the Civil War gunship, 'the Monitor'. It was also the first all steel refrigerator - earlier refrigerators had been made of wood to imitate traditional furniture. -
Microwave cooker
Microwave cooker
The microwave oven was invented in 1946 but it was not until the late 1960s that they became more common in homes. This photo shows a microwave cooker made by Philips between 1967 and 1973. This new method of cooking used short radio waves to penetrate food which is cooked by the heat produced by the agitation of water molecules within the food.
